1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device and method for packaging and in particular for packaging plants in baskets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Baskets are known for the packaging and display of flowers and other potted plants. Thousands of baskets are filled with potted plants at nurseries daily and shipped to markets for sale. Oftentimes, however, the pots move around during transport inside the basket and spill sometimes causing damage to the plant. To attempt to solve this problem it has been known to stuff newspapers clippings or artificial grass between the pots to prevent them from shifting. Unfortunately, the grass or newspaper can be messy and unsightly, making the arrangement unattractive to perspective customers. It also takes a considerable amount of time to stuff the clippings in a large number of these baskets. Further, since the baskets are typically filled with pots by unskilled workers as fast as possible, the pot placement is generally not uniform. Moreover, such methods do not protect the basket from damage caused when water or soil leaks out of the hole in the bottom of the pots.
It is also known to line the basket with a plastic sheet and then add the pots, or plant directly in the basket without using a pot. However, in the event a plant is damaged during or after transport, it takes considerable time to transfer the damaged plants out of the basket, and to replant. Nor can a purchaser of the basket quickly substitute a particular plant for one already planted in the basket at the request of the purchaser. This method of displayinq plants in a basket also requires a significant amount of soil to fill the volume of a given basket.
Also known in the industry is a carrying tray or a sell pack. These trays or packs are typically used for growing seedlings. These trays are divided into any number of uniform sub-compartments for receiving pots of uniform size. Each sub-compartment has at least one hole in its bottom to facilitate proper watering by preventing the seedlings from being flooded. Also, each sub-compartment is uniform in depth.
Still another prior art device consists of a round outer pot which receives triangular, pie-slice-shaped inner pots. These inner pots are uniform in size and each one has a hole in the bottom. This configuration of pots is used for growing seedlings.
3. Some Objects of Invention
It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device and a method for placing pots in a specific arrangement in a basket and preventing the pots from shifting and spilling.
Yet another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel basket for receiving pots.
It is another object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device and method which facilitates the standardizing of the shape and size of baskets used for transporting and displaying plants by allowing for many combinations of arrangements within a standard size basket.
It is still another object of an embodiment of the present invention to eliminate the need for stuffing materials between the pots in a basket in order to stabilize the pots for transport and display.
It is yet another object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device and method which allows plants in baskets to be arranged and displayed at various elevations, or allows plants in different size pots to be displayed on the same level.
These and other objects are achieved by embodiments of the invention described below.